


Man's Best Friend

by BatMads



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: One Shot, Vicchan pov, Walks On The Beach, Yuri is upset
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-17
Updated: 2017-07-17
Packaged: 2018-12-03 11:11:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11531010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BatMads/pseuds/BatMads
Summary: Yuri is upset, so naturally, it falls to Vicchan to cheer him up.**Takes place just before Yuri leaves for Detroit.**





	Man's Best Friend

**Author's Note:**

  * For [muse539](https://archiveofourown.org/users/muse539/gifts).



> I'm sorry about Shelby, love. I'm sure he'll be alright. In the meantime, though, here's my pitiful attempt to take your mind off things. *hugs*

Vicchan was not, by nature, a very wild dog. He had determined very early in his life that being wild, especially in public, tended to be something that upset Yuri, so he did his best to reign in the urge to tackle every passerby in an attempt to determine whether or not they were a friend or foe.

He wasn’t really big enough to tackle them either, but that was something Vicchan tried not to think about too much. He was the perfect size to be held in Yuri’s arms or in Yuri’s lap and that’s all that really mattered. Being perfectly sized so that Yuri could squeeze him tight through anxiety attacks or bury his face in Vicchan fur when he cried, that was what mattered.

Today, Yuri was distressed. Vicchan was not quite sure  _ why _ his friend was distressed, just that he was, and as Yuri’s dog and designated best friend, it was Vicchan’s job to cheer him up. He had tried everything. He had brought Yuri the rope they sometimes played tug of war with, the disk that Yuri seemed to like throwing so that Vicchan could go get it from him, all of his toys, but nothing seemed to be doing the trick, which is why Vicchan had resorted to this: bringing his leash to Yuri. 

Normally, he just ran besides his friend, whether they were just going around town or, more frequently, to the dance studio or the rink that Yuri liked to skate on, but that was different, today was different. Today, Vicchan would walk Yuri. Yuri seemed to like being walked. It was always Vicchan’s sure-fire way to calm him down. Hence the leash, brought to Yuri and deposited at his friend’s feet. 

Yuri just looked at it morosely. Vicchan sighed and nudged it closer to him. Yuri was very smart. Yuri was the smartest human that Vicchan knew, but sometimes, Yuri just could not seem to take a hint. He had been holed up in his room surrounded by empty boxes (and now all the things that Vicchan had brought him) all day. He needed to go out. He needed to exercise, like he did whenever he went to the rink, or to the dance studio. 

“We already went for a walk this morning though,” Yuri said. 

Ah yes, their daily morning walk. But that was more so Vicchan could take care of his business than anything else. Yuri always spent an awful lot of that time politely looking at his phone so Vicchan could have some privacy than enjoying the morning air, and the beauty of the sunrise coming over the top of the castle. Their morning walk did not count as an  _ actual  _ walk. Surely Yuri realized that?

Vicchan whined, and nudged the leash even closer to his friend. Yuri needed to be walked. Vicchan would take him. Was that not obvious?

Yuri sighed and picked up the leash. “Alright,” he said, “but not for very long; I need to finish packing.”

Vicchan sat still while Yuri clipped the leash to his collar and the borked happily. In a moment, he was already tugging his friend down the hall and out the door, nearly barreling into Mari, who gave a surprised yelp. 

“Vicchan,” Yuri huffed, “Vicchan  _ slow down _ !”

Too late. He was already out the door and onto the street, Yuri tugged behind him like a kite. Faster, he wanted to go  _ faster.  _ He wanted Yuri to feel the speed and strength in his legs, to realize how powerful he was. He wanted to run with his friend, as they sometimes did, Yuri laughing at the feel of the wind pushing it’s way through his hair, arms spread wide, as he had once told Vicchan, to make it feel like he was flying. 

“Vicchan!” Yuri reprimanded, tugging on the leash, bringing Vicchan to heel. “I told you to slow down.”

At that, Vicchan huffed. He had only been trying to help. Yuri sighed and scratched behind his ears. 

“I’m sorry,” Yuri said. “I’ve just been stressed lately. It’s not your fault.”

Of course it wasn’t Vicchan’s fault. It was just his responsibility to make Yuri feel better. He started walking again, glancing over his shoulder at Yuri as he did. 

_ Come on,  _ the movement said.  _ Let’s keep going.  _

And for the first time that day, Yuri smiled, just a little. 

Good. His plan was working. Now he just needed Yuri to smile  _ really  _ broadly. And then to laugh like if he didn’t have a care in the world. Where should they go though to make that happen? The rink? But no, Yuri always had to leave Vicchan outside when they went there. The ramen shop then? They did always give Yuri noodles for free when he came with Vicchan, and Yuri did like noodles. But that probably wouldn’t work either. He had barely picked at the katsudon his mother had made him today, and Yuri  _ never  _ picked at katsudon. That had been one of the big clues that he wasn’t okay in the first place. He probably would just give all the noodles to Vicchan while he continued to mope. 

Yuri came up to walk besides him and Vicchan turned his head this way and that, trying to think of where they could go that would cheer Yuri up. Somewhere quiet, with good memories, where no one could bother his friend; that’s where Vicchan needed to take Yuri. Somewhere that felt safe, and familiar, where Yuri could just be Yuri. 

A memory came to his mind then, of when he had just been a puppy. Yuri had taken him with his friend, Yuuko. They had gone swimming, and they had put Vicchan in a little sun hat and built him a castle out of sand. Even though he had wanted to jump on it all and feel the sand crumble underneath his paws (truly, nothing had ever felt so satisfying) he had made himself sit still while Yuuko took photos and Yuri laid shells out in patterns around him. He had given into the temptation eventually, but they hadn’t been mad. They had all just laughed and played together. It had been fun. 

The beach, then. Vicchan would take Yuri to the beach. And maybe they wouldn’t be able to go swimming in the water and build up a sandcastle again, but maybe they could just sit together and remember, or maybe Yuri would throw sticks into the sea and Vicchan would go and get them for his friend. Maybe they would build a castle out of driftwood. It would last a little longer than sand, anyways. 

He tugged on the leash, pulling towards the water, and though he could sense that Yuri was puzzled, his friend said nothing, and just let Vicchan lead the way. He sighed when they came to the sandy shore, and he saw where Vicchan had led them. 

“The beach, Vicchan?” he asked. “Why did you want to come here?”

Yuri looked down at him, brown furrowed as it often was when he tried to discern how clever Vicchan actually was. Vicchan just borked happily. He had picked the right place to lead Yuri to today. He knew it. He tugged on the leash, dragging Yuri closer to the water just to prove it. 

_ Remember how we played here?  _ He longed to say.  _ Remember how much fun it was?  _

He was sniffing around the sand for a good stick that Yuri could throw to him when he felt Yuri’s hands brush his neck and unclip the leash. He looked back at his friend quizzically, trying to ask in a look whatever Yuri had done that for. Vicchan couldn’t very well walk his friend when he was unclipped from the leash, could he? 

“Come on,” Yuri said, already bending down to pick up a stick that Vicchan had dismissed moments ago as being unworthy. He wagged it in front of Vicchan’s eyes. 

“Do you want to play or not?” Yuri asked. 

It was a terrible stick. It really had smelled foul, and would likely taste just s bad, and Vicchan suspected that it wouldn’t last the impact of hitting the water, or his teeth closing around it, or the push from the waves as he brought it back to shore, but Yuri had picked it, and because Yuri had picked it, it was perfect. Vicchan sprinted for the waterline just as the stick went flying end over end and into the sea. He jumped into the water to go get it and bring it back to Yuri, because that’s what he did. Yuri liked throwing him sticks, so Vicchan always brought the sticks back for Yuri to throw. There was nothing he wouldn’t do to make Yuri happy. Nothing. 

They spent the afternoon like that, Yuri throwing that stick and Vicchan diving into the sea to get it back. No matter how far Yuri threw that horrid thing, Vicchan found it and brought it back to him, even when the water was cold or he thought that it would be much easier to find another stick to bring his friend. When Vicchan jumped on him, still soaking wet, Yuri laughed and they rolled around in the sand together, playing without a care in the world. 

When the sun started setting, they left and walked up the hill to the little courtyard by the ninja castle that Yuri liked to go to when he needed to think. They sat under the tree on one of the benches and watched the sun dip below the water, it’s fire extinguished for now. Yuri scratched his behind his ears again and Vicchan tipped his head back, happy. 

“I have to leave tomorrow, Vicchan,” Yuri said. 

No problem. Yuri always came back after a few days, and he always spent the whole day playing with Vicchan to make up for his absence when he returned. 

“And I’m not coming back for a long time,” he continued. “I can’t take you with me. I don’t know when I’ll see you again.”

Yuri stopped scratching behind his ears. Vicchan turned to look at him. Tears were streaming down Yuri’s face. What did he mean, he wasn’t coming back for a long time? Was he afraid that Vicchan wouldn’t be here when he did? Yuri always came back, no matter how long he went away for. And Vicchan would always be here waiting for him. He’d wait for as long as was necessary. He leaned forward and licked Yuri’s cheeks to reassure him of this and Yuri chuckled even as he cried. It would be okay, Vicchan wanted to assure him. It would always be okay. 

Yuri wrapped his arms around Vicchan’s body, perfectly sized for loving his friend and master, and sighed. 

“I love you, Vicchan,” he said. 

Vicchan licked Yuri’s ear. It was caked in sand, but he didn’t mind. He loved Yuri too, and he was glad that he had been able to make Yuri happy. 


End file.
